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Dog That Was Stolen In A Violent DeKalb Carjacking Has Been Found

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on December 12, 2019

Rosa Smith is a 74-year-old retired attorney. She and her Yorkie mix, Daphne, are very close, and Smith could not imagine losing her sweet dog. However, one day, while Smith was standing outside her car at a gas station in DeKalb, Georgia, she was violently attacked out of nowhere, and three men drove away with her car. Smith was left in immense pain and sadly, poor Daphne was still inside the stolen vehicle.

After the attack, Smith was hospitalized. She was covered in bruises, and there were gashes left on her forehead, mouth, and cheeks. She also mentioned a horrible pain in her hips. At that point, she had no idea where Daphne was, and her car was nowhere to be seen.

Image: Screenshot, 11Alive YouTube

Rescuing Daphne

Luckily, Daphne was let out of the hijacked car at some point, left unharmed. Candace Thompson happened to spot the little dog wandering on the road in southwest Atlanta. There were cars passing on the road, so Thompson rescued Daphne as soon as possible in fear that the poor dog would get hurt.

Thompson knew that Daphne wasn’t a stray because she was still wearing a collar with tags on it, and she appeared to be in very good condition. She wanted to make sure that Daphne stayed safe, and she wanted to find her family as soon as possible.

Image: @DKPD1915/Facebook

Thompson tried calling the number on Daphne’s tag multiple times, but she was not able to get a hold of anyone, likely because Smith was still in the hospital. So, she called the police after her friend informed her that Daphne was on the news. Officers came to pick up Daphne as soon as possible.

Finding the Carjackers

Even though Daphne was found safe, Smith’s car is still nowhere to be found. Surveillance footage of the car driving away from the scene was taken and shared on the news. The car is a red Nissan Rogue. In the footage, it shows the suspects driving away from the gas station in that car, leaving Smith on the ground, unable to get up.

Image: @DKPD1915/Facebook

The police said that there are three men that they’re on the lookout for. One was her attacker, and there were two other men that got in the car. Photos have been shared of these three suspects, but nothing has been found just yet. If you live near this area, please be on the lookout for these individuals. 

Image: @DKPD1915/Facebook

If you know anything about the stolen car or the suspects, please contact the DeKalb County Police Department. Any information can help greatly. It is unfair that an innocent woman had to go through so much all at once, so the sooner these criminals can be captured, the better.

H/T: ajc.com

Featured Image: @DKPD1915/Facebook

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